Mechanical movement.



No. 630,474. Patented Aug. I3, |901.

c. P. cuTTmELL.` MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

(Application med Apr. 22; 1899.)

5 Sheets-Sheet l,

(Nu Model.)

MIIIIIIIIH INVENTQR 4.0.1.4 Hm@ ATTOHN EY Patented Aug. I3, |90l.

C. P. CUTTRVELL. MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

(Application med Apr. 22, 1899.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

R o TI N E V INI WITNESSES: am@ y@ 7W w ATTORNEY No. 680,474. Patented Aug. I3, IQOI'.

C. P. CUTTRELL.

y MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

(Application filed Apr. 22, 1899.)

5 sheets-sheet s.

INVENTOR WC y ATTORNEY (No Model.)

WITNEssx-:S

No. 680,474. Patented Aug. la, 19m. c. P. coTTnELL.

MEGHANIGAL' MOVEMENT.

(Application led Apr. 22, 1899.).

5 Sheets-Sheet 4.

(No Model.)

INVENTOR ATTORNEY ma onlus uns ca, wann? No. 680,474.V Patented Aug. 3, |904.

c. P. coTTnELL.

MECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

' (Application med Apr. 22, 1899.)

5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

(No Model.)

M Dams Pzrzns co. mutuo., wnsnmnfon n c arent trice.

vCHARLES I. COTTRELL, OF vWESTERLY, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO C. B. COTTRELL t SONS CO., OF .JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY; STONINGTON, CONNECTICUT, AND NEW YORK, N. Y.

Nl ECHANICAL MOVEMENT.

f :JLQECIFIGATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 680,474, dated August 13, 1901.

Appiioation med April 22, 1899.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES P. COTTRELL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Westerly, in the county of Vashington and State of Rhode Island,have invented certain new and useful Improvementsfi'n Mechanical Movements, of which the following is al speci.- cation.

My invention relates to that class of me.- chanical movements set forth in the United States Letters Patent No. 471,786, granted March 29, 1892, to Calvert B. Cottrell, and also set forth in certain other pending applications filed by me January 11, 1899, Serial Nos. 701,812 and 701,813, and has for its main object to further simplify, perfect, and improve the cam mechanism made the subjects-matter of the aforesaid applications.

To this end my invention consists in the various features of construction, arrangement of parts, and combinations of devices hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying dr'aWings,Figure 1 is an end elevation of a mechanical movement embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section ofthe same on the line w w of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the Whole machine, taken at vthe line x of Fig. 2. Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9 are detail sectional views to illustrate the operation of the various parts at different times or in different positions of the rack-frame or moving bed, and which will be hereinafter more specifically referred to. Fig. 10 is a vertical section taken at the line y 'y of Fig. 1, but omitting the stud 34 for the purpose of showing more particularly the form and ar-` rangement of the cams in said vieW.

In the various views the same part will be found designated by the same numeral `of reference.

My invention has been designed more particularly for use in connection with the reciprocating beds of printingpresses; but it may be advantageously employed in various other kinds of machines.

The bed or other body to be reciprocated is moved longitudinally back and forth, as heretofore, by means of two longitudinally-ar- With said racks.

properly guiding the pinion into and out of Serial No. 714,015. (No model.)

ranged toothed racks, connected to the bed or reciprocating part, and a constantly-*revolving toothed pinion which alternately engages Means are provided for engagement with said racks at the ends of the strokes of the bed or reciprocating member. Means are also provided for starting the bed in eachdirection with a slow movement and gradually accelerating its speed 6o until the revolving pinion engages with one or the other of said racks and moves the bed at full speed and for also gradually retarding the bed during the completion of its stroke in each direction and just prior to its stoppage and restarting it in the opposite direction.

For the purpose of this case, 1 may represent the reciprocating bed of a printing-press,

and this may be mounted for its movement 7o in any suitable Way in the framing 2 of the machine. To the under side of the bed are rigidly connected two vertically-arranged straight racks 3, disposed longitudinally of the bed and in this instance in the same vering, which is rigidly attached to the bed and 8o in the form shown consists of two longitudinal bars 4, one over the other, united at their ends by integral curved bars or members 5 and vertical bars 6. At each end of the rackframe and attached to the curved member is a semicircular orcurved rackv.

8 designates the driving gear or pinion, which alternately engages the straight racks 3, and 9 designates a smaller gearor pinion,

mounted rigidly and eccentrically of the axis 9o of rotation of the gear 8, but arranged to turn therewith and mesh With the curved end rack 7 when the gear 8 is leaving one straight rack and While it starts to rengage the other straight rack and during the time the gear 8 is wholly out of mesh with both straight racks.

The driving-gear 8 has a slight rising-andfalling motion to disengage from one rack and' to engage the other, and hence the di- Ioo ameter of thisgear is less than the distance apart of the oppositely-disposed racks. In order to afford the gearing the necessary up and down movements, its rotating shaft l0 is mounted eccentrically in a bushing 11, fitted in an eye or bearing at the upper end of a standard or bracket 12, secured to the base of the frame. To the outer end of said bushing is connected a crank-arm 13, to which is jointed at 14 one end of a link or pitman l5, whose opposite end is slotted or provided with an open frame 16, that embraces and slides upon a square block 17, mounted loosely on a shaft 18, extending transversely of the machine and mounted in suitable bearings. Between the ends of the pitman or link is attached a roller 19, that Works in a grooved cam 20, formed in the face of a disk or wheel 21, fast on the shaft 18. This cam is so shaped and proportioned as that at the proper times it moves the ptman longitudinally and causes it,through the crank-arm, to turn the bushing, and thereby elevate or lower the vshaft 10 and the driving-gear 8, attached thereto, so as to cause said gear While it is rotating to move bodily from one straight rack toward the other, and which movement takes place when one of said straight racks has run out of mesh with said gear at near the end of its stroke and while the reversing of the bed is occurring under the action and control of the mechanism to be hereinafter described. Just before the driven rack and the gear 8 part company the guiding gear or pinion 9 strikes into mesh with one of the curved racks and continues its engagement therewith until the main gear S has been moved up or down to come properly into mesh with the other straight rack, which it then proceeds to drive at full speed. The power may be applied at the shaft 22, which, as shown, is provided with the usual pulleys 23, and on the inner end of said shaft, which is mounted in a bearing 24 in t-he side frame and in a bearing 25, extending laterallyj from the bracket 12, is provided a toothed gear-Wheel 26, that constantly meshes with and drives the gear 8, which turns always in the same direction during the operation of the machine. The cam-shaft 18 is provided with a large spur-gear 27, which is driven by a pinion 28 on the power-shaft 22.

The mechanism thus far described comprises the means for giving the bed its main movements back and forth andmeans for ceder,

this of course is not essential so far as the main features of my improvement are concerned, and in lieu of such a construction and mode of operation the straight racks may be offset and the driving-pinion may engage them alternately by a lateral sliding movement, as shown and described in the Cottrell patent aforesaid, and although I have shown the curved end racks as semicircular and continuous and as coperating with a continuous pinion or guiding wheel, it will also be understood that as far as my invention is concerned these end racks, forming continuations of the main racks, may be made in the form of sections or segments not continuous, and theguidinggear which coacts therewith may be only a partial pinion or segments of gears, as also shown and described in the said Cottrell patent.

I shall now describe the reversing mechanism proper, by which the bed is gradually retarded at near the end of its stroke in either direction and gradually accelerated after the end of the stroke has been reached and until the main driving-gear again takes hold of one of the main racks and drives the bed for the major part of its stroke under the full speed of said gear.

Each of the bars' on the rack-frame carries or is provided with a vertical bearer or cross-head 29, with which cooperates a crank -pin or stud 30, provided with an antifrictionroller 31, that traverses the face of said bearer and operates on one half thereof gradually to check the speed of the bed and on the other half gradually to accelerate the speed of the same. This crank-pin is fixed at the outer end of a crank-arm 32, that is secured by screws 33 on the face of the fixed guiding pinion or gear 9 and radially of the axis thereof. The center of said crank-pin is coincident with the pitch-circle-of the said pinion, which pinion is one-half the diameter of the driving-gear 8 and is so attached thereto as that its pitch-circle passes through the plane of the axis of the gear S and through the pitchline of the teeth of said gear. The pitch-cir- Vcle of the guiding-gear 9 and the center of the crank-roll pass through the centers, from which the curved racks are formed or, in other Words, as is shown in Fig. 3, the pitch-lines of the gears 8 and 9 and the centers of the crank-roll and curved rack all coincide.

As far as the main features of my invention are concerned, the bearers 29 may be curved and concentric With the curved racks, with their treads or faces arranged to coincide with the pitch-lines of the teeth of said racks, and the crank-roller, in order to coperate therewith, may be fixed axially of the guiding-gear 9, as shown and described in prior patents in this art; but I prefer to use the straight vertical bearers and the crank-roll, arranged as shown, to Work in conjunction therewith.

At each end of the rack-frame is a hori- IOO IIO

zontally-projecting stud 34, provided, preferably, with an antifriction-roller, which during the time of reversal of the bed is to coact with a cam-like device, which may be attached to or formed of a piece with a plate or disk 35, which is preferably vertically arranged. There are two cams 36 and 37, one arranged alongside of the other and in parallel vertical planes, the inner cam 36 coacting with the stud 34, on the left of the frame, and the outer cam 37, coacting with the stud 34, on the right thereof, the stud on the right being slightly longer than the one on the left, so as to reach the outer cam. The cams are curved or crescent-shaped and mounted on the inner side of said disk.

The cams 36 and 37 are screwed or otherwise attached on the inner side of the disk 35, and to the outer side of said disk is screwed or otherwise attached a gear-wheel 38, whose hub 39 is mounted to turn freely on a stud 40, projecting horizontally inward from a standard 41. Meshing with the gear-wheel 38 is a similar wheel 42, whose hub is fixed by a set-screw upon a cross-shaft 43, which at its outer end is mounted in a bearing 44 in the side frame 2 and at its inner end in a bearing 45 on the standard 4l. At the outer end of the shaft 43 is secured a pinion 46, that meshes with the spur-gear 27 on the shaft 18. Thus the shaft 43 is constantly driven, and through the gears 42 and 3S the cams 36 and 37 are likewise constantly driven and always in the same direction. The shaft 43 is arranged below the under side of the reciprocating rack-frame and beneath the pitman, while the vertically-disposed cams are arranged above the shaft 43 and preferably both on one side of the reciprocating rackframe and in close proximity thereto.

It will be understood that in this class of printing-presses the bed is provided with airsprings or the like which operate to reduce the momentum of the bed during the slowingdown movements and which subsequently react to start the bed in the reverse direction. It sometimes happens that there is too much resistance in the springs, and hence the momentum is all taken out of thebed before it has completed its full stroke, and it is to provide for this contingency, more especially,that the cam is caused to come around behind the stud-roll 34 on the bed-frame, and by the continued rotation of said' cam force or push the bed along` to the full end of its stroke. If the bed be nicely balanced as to momentum and spring resistance, the cam will act then simply to hold the vertical bearer up against the crank-roll 3l during the slowing down of the bed and during the restarting of the bed in the opposite direction. In other words, when the cam is acting on the horizontallyextending bed-roll 34 the crank-roll 3l is acting on the Vertical bearer, so that the bed practically is held firmly between the cam and the crank-roll during the entire reversing operation, the cam working on the cuter side of the bed, so to speak, and the crankroller on the inner side, so that there is a sort of grasping action upon the bed by the aforesaid devices, which prevents any .lost motion or excessive motion to the bed.

I shall now describe the operation of the reversing devices.

Figs. 2, 3, and 6 show the mechanism in corresponding positions, at which time the bed has completed its full travel toward the left and has been stopped and is about to be started in the reverse direction. As will be seen at Fig. 3, the main driving-gear 8 is entirely out of mesh with both the longitudinal racks 3, the guiding-pinion 9 is in a position centrally of the curved rack 7 which it is traversing, and the crank-roll 3l is on the deadpoint, or centrally of the vertical bearer 29. The bed has reached the limit of its movement toward the left and is about to be started toward the right by the crank-roll, which at this time is rotating upwardly and about the axis l0 of the main driving-gear 8. Immediately the crank-roll starts above ,the horizontal position shown at Fig. 3 its pressure upon the vertical bearer causes the bed to begin its movement toward the right, and this movement is gradually increased as the crank approaches a vertical position. At about the time the crank has arrived in an upright position the main drivinggear 8, which had been gradually lifting bodily, strikes into gear with the upper main rack 3 and takes the bed at full speed, whereupon the crank-roll leaves the vertical bearer and the guidingpinion leaves the curved guiding-rack. The said crank and pinion then make one revolution with the main driving-gear, and just before the main driving-gear runs out of mesh with the upper rack at the left-hand end the guiding-pinion runs into mesh with the lefthand curved rack, and the vertical bearer is simultaneously brought up against the crankroll, which at this time is near a vertical line passing through the axis of the driving-gear, and the further movement of the bed toward the right is limited to the speed of the crankroller, which soon passes the vertical line and then decends along the vertical bearer as the latter advances by the momentum of the bed until the dead-point or horizontal center of the axis of rotation of the crank is reached, the crank-roll thus operating at this time gradually to slow down the speed of the bed and finally wholly to arrest its movement at such dead-point. The travel of the crankroll (beyond the dead-point) on the face of the bearer operates to start the bed again in the opposite direction-toward the left--and gradually to increase its speed. Just before the descending crank-roller reaches the aforesaid vertical line the main drivin g-gear comes into mesh with the lower straight rack 3, the guiding-pinion running in mesh with the lefthand curved rack,operating properly to guide the main gear into mesh with the straight rack, as before explained. Thereafter the gear IOO drives the bed toward the left. At Fig. 6 the crank is represented as in its horizontal position and as about to move the bed toward the right, orto the position shown at Fig. '7, where the crank has now arrived at nearly a vertical position and at which time the main drivinggear is engaged with the upper straight rack. At Fig. 8 the movement of the bed to the right by the gear 8 and rack 3 has ceased and the bearer has come up against the crank-roll, which has just moved past a vertical position and now controls the speed of the bed for the remainder of its movemnt to the right. At Fig. 9 the movement of the bed to the right is shown as having been completed and the bed is about to be started toward the left by the descending crank-roll acting on the lower half of the vertical bearer, and, as before eX- plained, just before or at about the time the crank-rollleaves the bearer the main gear 8 runs into mesh with the lower rack 3 andthe bed is continued at full. speed toward the left. During the time the crank-roll is operating gradually to reverse the movement of the bed the vertical bearer, and hence the bed, is held up aga-inst the crank-roll or prevented from getting away from the same by one or the other of the rotating cams 36 37 and one of the bed-rolls 34.

Referring to Fig. 6, it will he observed that at the time the crank-roll 3l is about to ascend and move the bed toward the right the right-hand bed-roll 34 is at about the center or dead-point of the cam 36. During the ascent of the crank-roller to the vertical position (shown at Fig. 7) the cam 36, revolving in the direction of the arrow, makes about a half-revolution, or arrives at the position shown at Fig. 7, and during practically the entire time the cam is moving from the position shown at Fig. 6 to that shown at Fig. 7 the bed-roll 3i travels along in contact with the inner face oredge of the cam and is controlled thereby, the cam being properly shaped and properly timed relatively to the movements of the crank so that while the crank-roll is acting on the vertical bearer the cam is acting on the bed-roller, thus confining the bed between the crank-roller and the cam until the gear 8 and rack 3 intermesh and take the bed.

Figs. 4:, 5, and 6 show the slowing-down movement of the bed in its travel toward the left. At Fig. #i the main driving-gear 8 has just parted company with the lower straight rack 3 and the vertical bearer has come up against the crank roll. Almost instantly thereafter the point of the cam embraces the bed-roll, and during the movement of the crank-roll from the position shown at Fig. 4 to that shown at Fig. 5 the cam travels around in contact with the bed-roll, as illustrated at Fig. 5. At Fig. 6 the bed is shown as having finished its movement toward the left and as having been arrested by the crank-roll and the bed-roll is shown as having arrived at the dead or neutral point of the cam. As the crank-roll now travels upwardly it starts the bed toward theright, during which time the upper half of the cam (shown at Fig. 6) travels in contact with the bed-roll and controls the movement of the bed. At Fig. 7 the cam is shownas having just parted company with the bed-roll, which stands between the ends or points of the cam and free therefrom, so as to permit the bed to be driven swiftly toward the right under the full speed of the gear 3, which at this time has now engaged the upper straight rack 3, the crank 32 havin g practically iinished its action. At Fig. 8 the bed is shown as traveling toward the right, the main driving-'gear as llaving just run out of mesh with the upper straight rack, and the vertical bearer as having come up against the crank-roll. In this view the cam37 is in a position to permit the left-hand bed-roll to enter between its ends, and instantly the lower portion of the cam runs into contact with and embraces said roll and travels therewith (in the 4manner illustrated at Figs. 5 and 6) until the center or dead point is reached, as at Fig. 9, Where the crank is shown in a horizontal position and the bed as having moved to the full extent toward the right. During the descent of the crank-roll on the vertical bearer the bed is started toward the left again, and at this time the lower portion of the 4cam runs in contact with the bed-roll and controls the bed in its movement until the crank has ceased to act and-the main gear has run into mesh with the lower straight rack 3 and taken the bed at full speed, at which time the bed-roll passes out between the points of the cam. Depending upon the momentum of the bed in its slowing down, the cams will have a variable action-that is to say, if there be too much momentum or too little spring resistance the cam will simply run around in contact with the bed-roll but if there be too little momentum-or too much spring resistance the cam will then perform the duty of forcing the bed along to the final portion of its intended stroke; but in the restarting of the bed in the opposite direction the cam will always control the movement of the bed or confine it to the action of the crank Whether there be too much spring resistance or too little.

Owing to the fact that the main drivinggear 8 has an up-and-down swinging motion to and from the 'main driving-racks 3, arranged in the same vertical plane, it is found in practice that two cams, as 36 and 37, produce abetter result than one cam only, adapted alternately to engage the studs at the opposite ends of the bed; but if the main driving-gear be arranged to slide endwise to engage offset-racks, as in the Cottrell patent aforesaid, a satisfactory result could be obtained with only one cam, as either 36 or 37. However, I do not wish to be limited wholly to the use of two cams in the following claims, excepting where the two cams are specifically set forth. In my aforesaid prior applications a IIO tion and on a fixed axis as distinguished from one that has a movement of translation, and because of this fact I am enabled greatly to simplify and cheapen the construction, and thus produce amore desirable cam mechanism for cooperating with the crank and bearer. The arrangement of the cam to rotate in a vertical plane instead of a horizontal one, as in my other cases, also enables meto simplify the gearing employed to rotatesaid cam.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination of a bed or member, means for reciprocating the same, means for reversing its vdirection of travel, and additional mechanism disconnected from said reversing means for insuring proper coperation between said bed and said reversing means, said additional mechanism comprising a cam having a fixed axis of rotation and a device at each end of the bed or member for cooperating with said cam during the time of operation of the said reversing means.

2. The combination of a bed or member,

means for reciprocating the same, means for 3. rIhe combination of a ybed or member, means for reciprocating the same, a revolving crank, a bearer at each end of, the `bed or member adapted to cooperate With said crank, a cam mounted on a fixed axis and to revolve in a vertical plane, and a horizontal projection at each end of the bed or member for cooperating With said cam during the action of the crank and bearer.

4. The combination of a reciprocating bed or member, means for reversing the same and arranged to act on one side thereof, and additional mechanism adopted to cooperate with said reversing means and arranged to act on the opposite side of said bed or member and comprising a pair of cams mounted upon a fixed horizontal axis, and horizontal projections at the ends of the bed or member adapted to cooperate with said cams during the times of action of the reversing means.

5. The combination of a reciprocating bed or member, a revolving crank, a bearer, a pair of cams mounted on a fixed horizontal axis, and horizontal projections of unequal length at the ends of the bed or member adapted to cooperate with said cams while the crank is coacting with the bearer to effect the reversal of the bed or member.

6. The combination of a reciprocating bed or member, means for reversing the same, horizontal projections of different lengths at the ends of said bed, a pair of vertically-dis posed cams arranged side by side and attached to a similarly-disposed disk, gears 38 and 42 for rotating said disk and cams about a fixed axis of motion, the shaft 43, and means for turning said shaft.

Signed at the town of Stonington, in the county of New London and Stateof Connecticut, this 17th day of April, A. D. 1899.

CHARLES P. ooTTnnLL.

Witnesses:

A. R. STILLMAN, B. F. LAKE. 

